Bottle gourd dal (lau dal) step-by-step recipe with video and photos.
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About this recipe
This humble Bengali dal is so full of flavours and easy to make. Made with split green gram or moong dal, this dish is absolute comfort food. Bottle gourd is known for its cooling effect and this dish is cooked in every household during summer.
To make this delicious dal, I first dry roast moong dal, wash it well, and boil with some turmeric powder and salt until it is almost done. At this stage, I add the bottle gourd and let everything cook until completely done. I then prepare tempering with whole spices, ginger, and chilli in ghee. I then pour the cooked dal over the tempering, adjust the seasoning and consistency, and simmer for a few more minutes. I then finish it with some coriander leaves.
Bottle gourd benefits and how to choose it
Bottle gourd (also known as long melon/doodhi/lauki/sorekayi) is a vegetable that is used in a variety of Indian cooking. We grown bottle gourd in our veggie patch during summer. It has multiple health benefits, including high dietary fiber, rich in iron and vitamin B and C. It is regarded as one of the healthiest vegetables in India. Bottle gourd peel can also be used in cooking, which again is considered very healthy.
When choosing bottle gourd, make sure the skin is smooth with no spots or blemish. The skin of a good bottle gourd will be pale or light green. The seeds of the bottle gourd are edible and are tender if the bottle gourd is tender. As the bottle gourd matures, the seeds become hard and loose their taste.
Ingredients to make bottle gourd dal (Bengali lau dal)
Bottle gourd: This is the main ingredient in this dish.
Moong dal: I use moong dal (yellow lentils) to make this dish.
Ghee: I always use ghee in making any lentil dish, like dal, sambar, rasam. I highly recommend using ghee and not replacing it with oil.
Spices: The spices I use here are cumin seeds, dry red chilli, bay leaf, cumin powder, and turmeric powder.
Other ingredients: I use ginger and green chilli in the tempering, and coriander leaves and lemon juice once the dal is done. I also add a very small amount of sugar. The sugar will not make this dish sweet but rather balance it really well.
Bonus
This dal is:
– absolute comfort food
– very easy to make and uses minimal spices
– ready in no time as moong dal cooks quickly
Serve it with hot steaming rice and sides of your choice, this dal is absolutely nutritious and satisfying.
For more bottle gourd recipes, click here.
Bottle gourd dal (Bengali lau dal) recipe video
Bottle gourd dal (Bengali lau dal) step-by-step recipe with photos
1. Dry roast moong dal until lightly golden taking care not to burn it
2. Wash the dal thoroughly and boil with salt and turmeric
3. Add bottle gourd and cook everything well
4. Prepare tempering in ghee
5. Add it to the boiled dal and simmer
6. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add coriander leaves
Bottle gourd dal
Ingredients
Instructions
Video
Notes
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